Episode 76: Hannah Kent on her extraordinary new novel, “Devotion”

Photo Credit: Lauren Bamford

Hannah Kent is drawn to the untold stories of women in history, and her third novel, Devotion, is no exception. Set in the 1830s, it is the story of a deep friendship between two young women, Hanne, “nature’s child” and Thea, who “dances to her own music”, that develops into a love that survives the arduous journey from Prussia to South Australia. Here we discuss the affinity of both women with nature, described by Kent in lyrical prose , relations between the German immigrants and the traditional owners of the land and the supernatural element that pervades the book. Kent also discusses her determination to write a queer love story that was not “ a narrative of shame”.

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